America's Recovery Capital (ARC) program, a government-guaranteed micro-lending initiative that kicked off last summer as an economic recovery measure to help small businesses saddled with burdensome debt service, may run out of money a month before it's scheduled to end.

This weekend, from March 5 to March 7, 6,000 people who were going to be at a bridal show -- won't be. Thousands of people who bought $15 tickets to attend a bridal show at the John B. Hynes Convention Center recently learned they had been scammed. There is no show. And while losing $15 isn't fun, it's nothing compared to the small business owners who had bought booth space for the bridal show. According to the Associated Press, some vendors lost up to $4,000.

This week, a new initiative is launching to help startups who want to raise $500,000 to $1 million in seed money without spending huge amounts of time and money. Series Seed Documentsprovides simple templates in place of complicated and costly legal documents, so getting your ideas financed will be less painful.

Stephen Colbert has clout. He begged for a new Apple iPad on The Colbert Report, then presented at the Grammys a few days later with one of the newly announced devices in hand. Chances are, his next thought after showing off the tablet to a room full of envious music celebrities was to outfit his new prize with a case and screen protector. Colbert won't have to wait long, as hordes of accessory makers are designing, manufacturing, and bringing to market a new wave of add-ons and protective gear in time for the official availability of the iPad in April.

A couple of bills working their way through Congress could help small businesses with important expenses by making more of them tax-deductible. One would double the allowable tax deduction for expenses incurred in starting a business, while another significantly boosts the tax deduction for business-related meals and entertainment.